Chapter 140: Legend of the Interstellar Creature
Chapter 140: Legend of the Interstellar Creature
Disappointingly, our scan indicated that no life signals were detected on the peak.
"According to the data, there is no life here. Looks like Prince Arude and Akko's interstellar creatures might have failed to survive the storm," said Lin Feixue with a sigh, knowing that he had doomed everyone's hope.
The room that was still rife with discussion sank into silence.
"Childish," a haughty voice rang out after a short while.
Everyone looked back and saw Domo sitting in a chair with both his hands crossed in front of his chest and his legs resting atop the table, looking like some sort of super expert.
"Little fellow, what genius idea do you have in your mind?" asked Zhang Bao'er. It seemed like the two were going to start bickering yet again.
"Fatty, since ancient times, heroes have always risen from the young. During our time at Milk City, I heard from Prince Gede's soldiers that they are not afraid of the empire's scans. That is because Mount Maiden has been thinly covered by a unique substance after being exposed to the harsh heat of the surface for so long. The substance can hide them well from all detection. That was why Prince Gede had selected this place to build his underground city," said Domo smugly.
"What a weird person. If you had known this, why didn't you tell anyone?" cursed Zhang Bao'er.
"About thatI had remembered it suddenly. I told you guys the moment I recalled it!" explained Domo, who was made to eat blame before he could even bask in the glory of his contribution.
Nevertheless, this information had injected everyone with a fresh boost of confidence.
"Captain, in other words, we have to get inside the mountain before we can find our answers," I said.
Zhang Xingxing looked at the dark sky outside. The ferocious storm occasionally flashed with lightning and clapped with thunder. She sighed, "Such extreme weather. Can this interstellar creature survive the trip back to its lair?"
"Definitely not. No life form can resist such a vile environment. Unless," I was about to say something.
"Unless what? Don't keep us in suspense," said Zhang Bao'er, who visibly grew impatient.
I paused, not saying anything.
"What are you doing? Are you trying to build more suspense?" Even Old Du was urging me.
"Bao'er said previously that he enjoyed such moments. I thought I should experience it as well," I teased as I stuck out my tongue.
"Sigh. You are all league officials but are still as childish as ever," said Master Crystal.
"Li Canyue, this is important. Please take this seriously!" Zhang Xingxing was starting to get angry.
I hurriedly sat straight and said, "Captain, I think one person needs to go with the interstellar creature and protect it with a morph-capable shield."
"You mean we follow the creature into the cave with a life pod?" asked Old Du.
"That's impossible. With a ship trailing behind it, the interstellar creature won't feel safe to return to its lair," said Baobao.
"What if we can obtain its trust?" I asked.
"How can a ship earn the trust of an animal?" asked Baobao.
"I don't need a ship. I only need to win its trust myself," I said.
"What? You mean you can fly?" asked Baobao in astonishment.
"No, but I plan to ride the interstellar creature," I said.
"That is impossible. Since the dawn of Akko's written history, nobody has ever conquered these creatures. This is basically fantasy," said Baobao confidently.
"Soldier, since nobody has ever done it since the dawn of written history, do you mean that it had happened prior to the existence of written history?" asked Zhang Bao'er.
'This Zhang Bao'er can be really perceptive at times,' I thought in admiration.
"It's a myth. How can a myth be believed?" retorted Baobao, becoming visibly agitated.
"What myth? Tell us," said Domo. Surprisingly, he was actually standing on the same side as Zhang Bao'er this time.
Baobao glared at Domo before saying, "According to the legends, in ancient times, there was a god of stars who roamed the universe called Shajinsen. With his trusty mount, Clearsky, Shajinsen roamed the universe to witness the beauty of the myriad star systems.
"One day, he arrived at Canis Major. Here, he encountered another ancient god, Tolanjin. Due to drastically different viewpoints, the two waged battle. The battle was so intense it lasted 500 years. The entire Canis Major was thrown into chaos by the fight. But even after 500 years, a victor still wasn't decided.
"However, Shajinsen's mount, Clearsky, had actually fallen in love with Tolanjin's mount, Hemi, during the 500 years their owners fought. The product of their love was a group of weird-looking creatures, each with a pair of big round eyes, a long mouth, a pair of massive wings, and an armored tail. A pair of limbs was connected to the creature's wings, and another pair of limbs was connected to the lower body. These creatures were capable of flying in the air and walking on the ground."
"Are you trying to say that the offspring of these two mounts are these interstellar creatures?" asked Zhang Bao'er.
"Yes. The interstellar creatures are the offspring of the two gods' mounts. A miracle appeared. When the two gods saw the children of their mounts, they seemed to realize something. It was pointless to keep fighting endlessly. Continuation and legacy are what truly matters. Those were the tasks they should undertake instead.
"The flash of inspiration transformed the two gods. Shajinsen transformed into Epsilon Canis Majoris while Tolanjin transformed into Sirius A, becoming the brightest stars in Canis Major, watching over all lives here. The offspring of their mounts had stayed on a small planet and multiplied until the present day. That is the myth behind the origin of Akko's interstellar creatures," said Baobao.
"If that's the story, then this is really just a myth," said Kelly.
"Yeah. That's what I said. You guys forced me to tell it. Would you even believe something like that? And even if the myth is real, the ancient gods had only ridden on their ancestors, not the present interstellar creatures," said Baobao, who went on an offensive against Zhang Bao'er.
"Since their ancestors had once been tamed, I refuse to believe the same genetics had not been passed on to their offspring," Zhang Bao'er insisted.
"Superior, their ancestors were not tamed by mortals. They were tamed by gods. That is a myth, a legend. Also, is any of us a god?" countered Baobao.
"Enough. Lin Feixue, where is the interstellar creature? Take me to it," I stopped everyone and ordered Lin Feixue, going straight to the crux of the matter.
With Lin Feixue leading the way, everyone followed behind us silently. The interstellar creature was kept in a massive storeroom. Two soldiers were standing guard outside the room. Before we even reached the room, we heard massive thuds coming from the room.
When we arrived in front of the room, Lin Feixue asked, "What is going on here?"
"Reporting to superior, the creature was calm initially, but after some feeding, it recovered its energy and became agitated. It has been knocking against the wall constantly. It seems to be trying to escape," reported the soldier.
"Is it safe to approach it now?" asked Lin Feixue.
"Absolutely not. This creature is ferocious. Since it woke up, we have only been able to feed it through the small hole above the room. It would roar fiercely and ram into the wall the moment anyone approaches the door," said the soldier.
"Where is the observation window?" I asked.
The soldier pointed at a rectangular board beside the door. The board was the size of a regular window.
"Who designed this thing? Why is it so big?" I asked helplessly.
"Reporting to superior, this room was meant for storage. Due to the large size of the room, the observation window was also designed with a larger size," answered the soldier.
I had no choice but to calm my beating heart and walked toward the window.
"Canyue, careful," a concerned voice came behind me.
I looked back and saw that the entire group was standing behind me. The first thing I noticed was Zhang Xingxing's worried gaze.
"Don't worry. I'll have my shield on," I promised, mainly for the purpose of putting Zhang Xingxing at ease.
I took a big step forward. When the interstellar creature inside sensed someone approaching, it unleashed a shrill shriek and started ramming into the wall. I could see that the steel wall itself was on the verge of caving in from the impact. I breathed slowly, trying to calm myself. As the loud knocking continued, I slowly opened the window. A fishy smell assaulted my face while a sharp mouth shot in my direction.
"Canyue, careful!" Zhang Bao'er's shout rang out.
I jumped in fright when I noticed the mouth stopping before my shield. I quickly stopped everyone who was trying to help me with a gesture. The tip of its sharp mouth, which had stopped before me, suddenly opened, revealing a bunch of small feelers that started scanning my face.
When the mouth had opened, the interstellar creature had stopped ramming the wall. Silence descended as everyone attentively observed everything the interstellar creature did. The interstellar creature took three minutes to scan my face before it pulled back its feelers and mouth. Then, it leaped into the air and smashed a lamp on the ceiling with its back. It repeated the process, smashing the second and third lamps.
Understanding what the interstellar creature wanted, I ordered, "Shut off all sources of light in the room. Keep the room dark."
Lin Feixue immediately ordered the relevant personnel to shut off the lights. Before the final lamp turned off, I clearly saw the interstellar creature go to the corner of the room, turn its head to look at me, and then lie down on the ground. The room was completely dark, so we could only hear the sounds of the interstellar creature breathing but could not see it.
"Captain, I have a feeling it's asking me to enter. I must enter and build a bond with it," I said.
"Sigh. Permission granted. Be careful. Retreat at the first sign of danger," said Zhang Xingxing. She had to agree as she knew I would never back down.
"Canyue, keep your laser probe on in case it decides to ambush you," suggested Zhang Bao'er.
"No. I believe it can only communicate in the dark. It knows that I was the one who had saved it. I don't think it will attack me," I said firmly.
"Superior, be careful. These creatures are extremely fierce. Nobody can ever conquer them. Do not believe in some myth," advised Baobao untiringly.
I merely nodded at Baobao to thank him for his good intentions.
"Canyue, remember to keep your shield on as a precaution," said Zhang Xingxing.
"It's been on. Don't worry. Just wait for me to conquer it. Shut the door and the window the moment I enter. Keep the room dark," I said with a comforting smile.
In truth, I was extremely nervous. But for some reason, a mysterious force seemed to be urging me to establish communication with the creature in the room. I slowly opened the door, revealing a dark room. As a cold breeze brushed against me, I switched off all the lighting on my suit and stepped inside.
The door closed behind me with a thud, telling me that only the interstellar creature and I were left in the room. I stood still for several minutes, but I did not feel the creature's approach. At that moment, Zhang Xingxing and Zhang Bao'er called out to me anxiously through the communicator, and an idea appeared in my mind.
"Captain, I also need to turn off the communicator. If it remains off for more than 15 minutes, you may enter the room," I said before turning off my communicator.
At the same time, I also turned off my shield device.
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